Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Test review: The Roar Before The Rolex 24

11.01.2017: The Mercedes-AMG GT3 ‘roared’ around the track in the first test sessions of the new year (6th - 8th January) at the Daytona International Speedway.

The Mercedes-AMG GT3 ‘roared’ around the track in the first test sessions of the new year (6th - 8th January) at the Daytona International Speedway.

Teams and drivers had ample opportunity to post valuable test kilometres ahead of the main attraction in the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship, the 24 Hours of Daytona (26th - 29th January).

During the course of seven training sessions from Friday through to Sunday, Riley Motorsports Team AMG, Riley Motorsports WeatherTech Racing and SunEnergy1 Racing were able to show off their potential and perform some late fine-tuning.

Lone Star Racing confirmed that they will be entering a Mercedes-AMG GT3 (start number 80) with the driver pairing of Dan Knox and Mike Skeen in selected races during the 2017 IMSA season. These will not include Daytona. Three AMG drivers will compete in the Daytona 24-hour race, namely Adam Christodoulou, Maro Engel and Thomas Jäger.

Thomas Jäger (Riley Motorsports WeatherTech Racing): “We were able to test in all weather conditions during the three days: it was warm and cold, dry and rainy. The drivers of the number 33 and number 50 cars have tested together for the first time.

The seats have been moulded, the chassis settings have been further adjusted to the Continental tyres and the team got used to working together.

We AMG drivers shared our experience of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in depth with the team, and we’ve made very good progress.

The opposition are still difficult to assess, but we were performing at a good level on the test laps. It’s going to be a big challenge, but I’m feeling optimistic about the race later this January.”

Adam Christodoulou, Riley Motorsports Team AMG: “I’ve shared a cockpit with Jeroen Bleekemolen before, so I know how fast he is. It was great to work with Ben Keating and Mario Farnbacher too.

Both showed strong pace and put in consistently fast laps. We were very fast all round as a team. The track is simply incredible. You soon forget how steep the incline is, especially near the summit.

We reach top speeds of over 270 km/h – and sometimes with three vehicles going wheel to wheel on the steep turn. I am really grateful to AMG and Riley Motorsports for having given me the chance to drive for them in this major 24-hour race in the USA. I am thrilled about this opportunity and can’t wait for it to come around.”

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